The present invention generally relates to the rapid manufacturing of three-dimensional (3D) objects such as prototypes, tooling, and production-quality parts. In particular, the present invention relates to a transactional method for the rapid manufacturing and smoothing of 3D objects.
The production and testing of 3D objects is commonly used for developing new products, machines, and processes in a wide range of industries. There are a variety of rapid manufacturing techniques for building 3D objects, each of which develop the objects from geometric computer models under computer control. These techniques generally slice or divide a digital representation of a desired object (e.g., a computer aided design (CAD)) into horizontal layers, then build the object layer-by-layer by repetitive application of materials. The term “rapid manufacturing” herein refers to the building of 3D objects by one or more layer-based additive techniques. Exemplary rapid manufacturing techniques include fused deposition modeling, ink jetting, selective laser sintering, and stereolithographic processes.
In many situations, designers may only require a limited number of 3D objects to be manufactured, or alternatively, the designers may not have direct access to a rapid manufacturing system. In these cases, it may be more efficient and cost effective for the designers to have professional manufacturers that are experts in rapid manufacturing perform the work. As such, there is a need for a transactional method of interacting with customers for building 3D objects that is easy to use, amenable to individual customer needs, and which produces quality 3D objects.